Let's Write and Send Stuff To Steve!

Here we are...finally!    I've copied it directly from his email to me:

My mailing address is simply:     1SG Steven Elzy
                                       HHC 219th BfSB
                                       Camp Adder
                                       APO AE 09331 

DO NOT put Iraq in the address it messes things up.

I know that I have already sent out lists of what the soldiers need and like to receive, but if you missed that--let me know.

Also, Steve has particular items that he personally needs, mainly certain vitamins and supplements that he takes to keep his "youthful edge" on his youngsters!  ;)   

If you want to do this--it would be greatly appreciated--so just let me know and I'll let you know what he needs.

Love To All!

Patti

BREAKFAST AT TIFANNY'S, I MEAN CAMP ADDER

I wish that I could give you the actual date when Steve got into Iraq---I think that it was sometime this past week-end.    

All I know is that he told me on a phone call last week that, "I'll be there for breakfast tomorrow."

Where's "there"?

Why Camp Adder, of course!   

My first thought: "Wonderful. He's at a place named after a deadly desert snake.  Great."

Then my next though (of which the Holy Spirit pushed into my head): "Oh, he's at a place where he gets to stand upon and rule over the 'evil snake' of the area.  That'll work!"

Obviously, it takes me a few times to REMEMBER who we are in Christ....

Okie dokie!   Camp Adder....

Camp Adder is LITERALLY in the midst of the ruins of UR of The Chaldees, and everyday he looks at the ruins AND the Ziggarut that was built pre-flood, in order to worship their Moon God.

 

Pre-flood, there was a huge lake there.  The people built a huge Ziggarut in order to get high enough to see the reflection of the moon in the lake.

After the flood, the area became marshland, which drew the Bedouin people to settle there.   

Sadly, now, it is a salt marshland.   Very barren and desolate.

As for Steve, his quarters are in the middle of camp, so he gets to walk from middle to end, from end to middle, and back again, and again, and again.....

He told me that Chow Hall is at one end of the camp, which means that after having to walk back and forth to chow 3 times a day, he walks almost 8 miles a day JUST to eat! 

I told him that he surely wouldn't have to worry about working-out to lose weight!

Because of his Rank, he has his own personal quarters, which is VERY nice this time around.   We can Skype all alone!     

Also, he's in the area where all of the Officers are, which (believe it or not) is a good thing.   He has some VERY good leaders this time around. 

I have been BEGGING him for pictures of the area, but he tells me that because of the sandstorms, it's almost impossible to get shots.   

Whenever he sends me something---I'll post it!   Promise!

Also--once he gets through the next few weeks, he'll be going OUT on Missions throughout the entire country of Iraq to check on all of his troops.

I will not write what "going OUT" entails.   Just know that when I let you know---PRAY FOR HIM!   

I do know more to tell, but cannot.   So please, pray for Steve and all of the men and women of this particular mission.

This mission is suppose to be THE ONE that "Shuts the doors and turns off the lights."

And we all know how these things can go--when politicians get their noses in there.

If you are curious, get on-line and check out UR of The Chaldees (or go to your Bible), and also look up Ziggarut.

He is officially in Tallil, if you want to look it up on a map.   

It's in the basin area of where the three rivers meet--literally within the area of The Garden of Eden.   

This Tour of Duty is a rough one, but it is also such a God One!   We're both excited to see what things the Lord will do!

I'll post his address on my next blog for you.

Much Love To All!

Patti

PS...Steve TOLD ME how to spell "Ziggarut" like it's spelled there.   So don't be yelling at me that I spelled it wrong!  ;)

And for MORE info, just Google "UR of The Chaldees Ziggarut".

First Contact

At 4:30 this morning...STEVE CALLED ME!    (yawwwwnnnn!)

I must say that, for me, being awakened that early, it could only have been my honey on the phone.

He is in Kuwait and will be for at least another two weeks.   So for now, he is 7 hours ahead of me (EST).  Once he gets to where he's suppose to be in Iraq, it should be 8 hours ahead.   Doesn't seem like it by looking at the map; but what do I know?!  

We couldn't talk very long, so I don't have much info to share with everyone.

As usual, the 16 + hour flight was rough on everyone's bodies; a lot of fluid retention, making for puffy and stiff extremities.

He said that he was going to go get a bite of lunch and then go and work out.   He needed to work on getting acclimated and get "the puffy" out.

That's about it.   Like I said, he didn't have long to talk.

I'll post again when he calls.

Until then...don't forget to pray!

Sleepy-Eyed Love,
Patti

It's Mother's Day. Do Something Different For God's Sake!

Yep.   It's Mother's Day again.   

Time for homemade cards with crayon, water paints, or maybe some kind of pasta & glue.

Time for Hallmark to rake in another bazillion bucks.

Time for emailed cards for those who either can't draw, paste, or get to a Hallmark store.

Time for beautiful, heartfelt gifts for mom.

Time for d***it, I have to do something for mom, $%^&*(!!!

Time to share your true heart with your mom.

Time to be guilted into giving-doing-being something for mom.

Time to dress up and help FTD, 1-800-Flowers, or Pro-Flowers, rake in the bucks with flowers from Ecuador that will die in less than a week.

Or to buy the 50% off wilted rose from Wal-Mart because Lord knows you ''HAVE'' to get something.


Some of us still have our moms...and wish we didn't.


Some of us don't....and wish we did.


And for a great many of us, believe it or not, just wish this day didn't exist because of the pain it causes us.


I've seen some of the most callous and clueless acts thrown as emotional javelins through the hearts of mothers--in church over the years, that--not only I--but a host of mothers just don't show up on Mother's Day because it hurts too much. 


Well, unless they're guilted into it.

Or the mother makes DEMANDS on their family.


As for me, having miscarried too many babies, I've endured
far too many Mother's Day Services than I should have had to.

Not that I have minded giving and serving others; that part was dear and sweet; no, I'm just speaking about heart's like mine today.  


And my best friend, sheesh!, you could write a horror story about the things she's had to endure.   And NO, I'm not kidding.


My best friend and I have both suffered together through some BAD M's Day.   *shudder*

Which brings me to today's Mother's Day. 

My best friend and I have both ENJOYED one of the BEST Mother's Day ever!   Sweet!

Even though my mom is with Jesus, and I do not have any physical children...I have hundreds of spiritual kids all over the nation.   Wherever Steve and I have pastored or he's served in the military, we have "children".

Yesterday, as you know (if you've read my blog) my honey was on his way to Iraq, and is now there--somewhere.

And yesterday as I went to dinner with my other friend Angie last night, I opened the perfectly timed arrival of the cards that Steve sent me.   They were both Mother's Day cards--from him to me--celebrating ME as HIS Proverbs 31 woman.


Then when I got home I opened a large envelope (thought it was ??), and it was a gift from my honey!   A black leather bracelet with a lovely thin bar with the inscription: "Love you more" on it.     And yes, there is a story behind that.    I'm still smiling...

My friend's mom is with Jesus too, as is my friend's husband; but she has been blessed with two way cool sons.  And when I found out what her youngest gave her for her Mom's Day gift, I couldn't stop laughing!

Both because it shocked me and hit me funny, and also because it was just...SO...Joe, her youngest son.   

He got her a gun.   And now they can go target shooting together.  (Sitting her laughing as I type!)  

I wish that you knew all of the nuances and variations-on-a-theme to our friendship, because it's the only way to bring you into just how wacky this is.

And why it made it the PERFECT Mother's Day.   

For her...and for me.

Naturally, we BOTH did NOT go to church today; me in Indiana or her in Texas.   

And no, we did not miss anything, nor did anyone else.

Our Heavenly Dad blessed us both with what we NEEDED to sooth and to minister to OUR hearts--NOT the expected standard.

I'm writing today to celebrate freedom from the expectations and demands of a tight-assed church, locked into the confines of their own individual religiosity.

(Yes, Virginia; I just typed, and you just read what you thought you read.   Get over it and get over yourself.)   


I LOVE my life in Christ.   And I love that I can speak plainly in order to get a point across.   

I pray that everyone had the Mother's Day that they DESERVE--
--NOT THE ONE THAT THEY HAVE TO ENDURE.

And I pray that perhaps my itty-bitty-blog will smack you right between your double-lidded eyes, and you will start to SEE and REALLY honor your mothers and wives and sisters, as The Father would have you to do.

For God's sake!   DO SOMETHING DIFFERENT!

Do something inspired by the Holy Spirit!

Go against the mundane and typical.

GET REAL.

Loving You Like The Mother I am,
Patti

It's Catch-Up Time, Everybody.

HOLY CATS!   I truly thought that once Steve got out to Ft. Irwin, WA, I would have TIME to not only Blog on a TIMELY basis, but do other things.   

OBVIOUSLY NOT.  

I would have loved to have kept you up-to-date with his training and his "Herding cat and chasing squirrels" on a weekly basis.

But then....I would have LOVED to have done a lot of things other than what I've been having to do.  

I would have LOVED to have told you about Steve's two and three-quarter days of Leave here at home while it was happening.   There wasn't any time to do so then.

Here it is now:

We spent our first 3/4 day--going to the--CHIROPRACTOR together!  Woo-hoo!   

We did go out to eat at Cracker Barrel because it's "comfort food" to us; and we were blessed with someone paying for our meal.   

That was SO SWEET!    Almost as sweet as being out in public with my soldier in uniform and catching up on things. 

Then we went home to HAPPY-HAPPY-JOY-JOY dogs.   Insanity with fur.   They barked and ran like maniacs for over an hour.  

Next we called for "our" kids to come down to see me, not knowing that Steve was there.  It was great to surprise them!

After they went on home--we both crashed.   Steve especially. He was SO tired.

The next day was OUR DAY.   A day to do whatever we wanted, whenever we wanted to do it.   And although if I told you everything we did--you'd find it mundane.

But then nothing is mundane when you're with the one you love; every moment is a treasure.   

It was a laid back, fun day; us and the dogs!   

The next and final day, we both were crabby and almost stand-offish towards one another.   That was because we knew that tomorrow would be our last time together for a year.  

When things hurt---we pull away from the pain.

Steve cleaned up the garage for me--and everybody else who would be coming in there to help me fix the house this year--so that was a mess.   

I was underfoot trying to plant my first flowers of Spring.   I was having a good time being outside with him in the damp-cool day--until I got a chill.   

Then the rest of the night I just sat in pain with every joint screaming.   NOT the way I wanted to spend our last night, but he had to pack bags anyway, so it was okay.

After 33 years of marriage, you KNOW one another, and you don't have to perform love; you just are love to one another.

It's the love that transcends all things and is unquenchable.

The next morning at 4:30, we hugged and kissed our last good-bye on the curbside at the airport.   Neither one of us wanted me to go with him to his gate; why prolong the pain.

So I watched him go; leaning out of the car and straining to see the last of him leave my sight, dissolving into the airport.

I sat and cried alone in the car.   Security left me alone and didn't shoo me away; they knew and let me be.

The days after his short time at home have been the same light-speed-blur of days as before he came home.   Only crazier.

Paperwork-paperwork-paperwork.

Legalities-legalities-legalities. 

Get-it-or-else...
get-it-or-lose-it...
get-it-or-have-no-medical-coverage...
get-it-or-NOT-be-Mrs.-Social-Security-Number-Elzy...
get-it-or-get-NOTHING.


Get the JAG attorney to fight for me.   (Again.)


Call "The List" and explain to them my rights and to "...back off!"


Call the JAG attorney again for advice on a new "surprise" battle.


Have a Scavenger Hunt for things Steve forgot; find them and ship them.   That one was fun.    NOT.


This and SO MUCH MORE...plus all of the other daily "extras" that the Lord would put on my plate to do.


Oh, almost forgot trying to get "Man Help" to take care of issues that I absolutely could not do.   Thankfully, I have six faithful men that I can depend upon for muscles and other "man help".   


I have made use of the stubborn-part of my personality to tell my feet and body to "Shut up!!" so I could help one of my best faithful men/neighbor, turn my ugly yard into a pretty garden.


There were days where I couldn't walk the day after digging and dragging and planting and moving stuff.  OYE!  


My dear neighbor and I have the worst parts over and done with; all that's left is the mulch to put down.
(OYE!!!  In advance.)


The main reason I worked so hard on several physical fronts was because I wanted it out of the way BEFORE Steve actually left the U.S.    


I finished the most painful part of my outside work on Wednesday, May 4th, and he left Ft. Lewis on Friday, May 6th.   

I spent all day and night yesterday just being by my phone so I could talk to him every chance he got to call me.


They left Washington state and had a short lay-over in Bangor, Maine.


Then the next leg of the journey (which is continuing now, even as I type this) will be to Leipzig, Germany, for another short lay-over.


Then onto Iraq.   


For those of you who want to count hours difference, so you know what time it is where he'll be; I'm Eastern Standard Time and I count AHEAD 8 hours.  (He thought that it was 12 to 14 hours difference at first, then realized that was Afghanistan time difference.)

So as far as I know---I've caught y'all up.   There are so many other little things, but if they need to be told, they'll come out in my future blogging.

Today, my girlfriend Angie, is taking me OUT; as in, get OUT of the house while your husband is in-route to Iraq and all that is ahead of us.   

I'll appreciate it later.   Right now....I'm just waiting by my phone...just in case.

Love To All And Keep Checking In With Me Here!
Patti